Guitar Hero Celebrates 20 Years – How a Plastic Axe Bridged Generations Among Music Generations

Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”